This invention relates to ballistic garments, and more particularly to a universally fitting, modular bullet-proof garment for fitting onto a person's torso.
Ballistic garments, better known as bullet-proof garments, are becoming more prevelantly utilized by law enforcement individuals, and others, as a result of the increased crime rate and increased utilization of guns. Many of the presently available bullet-proof garments are complete body protectors including sections fitting over most parts of the wearer's body, especially the torso. However, because of the extensive amount of coverage provided by these garments, they are heavy in weight and quite costly.
Other bullet-proof garments approach the opposite extreme and only provide for vest protection. While these garments are substantially lighter than the entire torso protectors, they accordingly provide for less protection.
Occasionally, a law officer needs minimal protection during regular use, but may require extra protection for high risk assignments. At other times, the law officer may be put on special assignment and for this special assignment may require the additional protection. In these, and various other types of situations requiring extra protection, it was heretofore required to get one garment for the minimal protection needs, and a separate garment for the greater protection needs.
Another problem with the prior art bullet-proof protectors is that the garment must normally be fitted to the particular wearer. As a result, the size of the bullet-proof garment would vary in accordance with the user's body measurements, and a garment could not normally be passed from one individual to another individual since it would not properly fit the other individual, and therefore may not sufficiently cover vital portions of the wearer's body.
Accordingly, there is a need for a ballistic garment which can have modular sections that can be added on to a basic garment to thereby provide as much body coverage as is required. This will permit the garment to be utilized for minimal protection, and also provide interfitting sections which can be added on to the garment to cover other parts of the body thereby providing additional coverage as is needed. There is also a need for a ballistic garment which can provide a universal fit to accommodate different body sizes. In this manner, a single garment can be utilized for different sized individuals and, accordingly, the garment can be easily manufactured and can be easily transferred from one person to another person while still providing an adequate fit.